Praise was heaped on Chelsea wonderkid Kendry Paez by South American football expert Tim Vickery regarding his performances for the Ecuador senior national team during the ongoing international break.

Aged just 16, he became the youngest-ever player to feature for Ecuador – additionally, he also provided an assist for their second goal of the game, as La Tricolor defeated Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay by a score of 2-1.

Vickery described Paez’s performance as ‘a joy to watch’ and also said he had ‘a swagger and a style about his football’ in his glittering review.

What was said regarding Kendry Paez’s performances on the international stage?

Speaking to ESPN, Vickery said: “Paez operated on the right of a midfield trio. Left-footed but able to go either way, there was a swagger and a style about his football, a casual ease of accepting responsibility to set up the play, that was a joy to watch.

“He did not last the entire game — that would have been too much to expect — but by the time he left the match, with some 20 minutes to go, he had laid on the winning goal.

“Caicedo started to vary the repertoire. He worked some short corners, and from one of them he slipped Paez, his future Chelsea teammate, to the byline. Paez played in a low cross and there was Torres once more, this time stretching out a leg to win the game.”

Could Kendry Paez have a role to play for Chelsea this season?

Sadly, for all of Paez’s talents, he will not a role to play in the first team for Chelsea this season – however, it is not his fault by any means.

While Paez has agreed a deal to join Chelsea, he will not official become a Blues player until the summer of 2025. Until then, he will remain at his current club in his native Ecuador (Independiente del Valle).

Chelsea have plenty of depth in the positions that Paez plays – attacking midfield and on the left wing. His potential in the modern game is enormous – but at the age of just 16, it would difficult to justify him starting over players such as Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and Mykhaylo Mudryk if he was currently available for selection.